Assessing World Bank Support for Trade, 1987-2004: An IEG Evaluation

The developing world arguable more open today than at any time in recent memory. Developing countries have more than doubled their exports since the mid-1980s, helping many of them to grow steadily. Exports and imports have risen as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP) across a wide range of countries, fueled in part by China’s remarkable trade performance and the growth in services trade. Trade policies have also been significantly liberalized. Average import tariffs have fallen steadily over the period …., although the fall in other forms of protection has been more gradual. The world Bank has both influenced the been influenced by these developments. The Bank has supported the reform of trade policies and the strengthening of trade-related institutions and infrastructure in its client countries. Between fiscal years 1987 and 2004, about 8.1 percent of total Bank commitments ($38 billion) went to 117 countries to help them better integrate into the global economy. This financing has been accompanied by a large volume of analysis in operational economic and sector work (ESW), research publications on trade, and working papers on trade-related topics.